ABSTRACT
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is a complex, slow-moving convention, which—considering that there are 183 parties—has hundreds of organizations and thousands of individuals involved in its functioning. CITES compliance is confined to the parties meeting the reporting requirements, meeting the timelines for implementing changes and/or additions, and undertaking the required assessments and monitoring. Implementation of CITES into national legislation has received attention over the years as to whether or not parties are implementing the control measures of the Convention. The National Legislation Project (NLP) assesses parties’ implementation of CITES through four components: designate at least one Management Authority and one Scientific Authority; prohibit trade in specimens in violation of CITES; penalize such trade; and confiscate specimens illegally traded or possessed. The NLP checks that confiscation is included in the implementation of CITES into national legislation, but it does not appear to go further than that.
